Beck's Six

“Well, they’re obviously used to following directions and wouldn’t have lasted as long as they did if they weren’t good at their jobs. That’s for damn sure.” He rubbed his jaw. “And just last week we were discussing how efficient it would be if we didn’t always have to go hunting for temps when we had a situation that required female participation.”

“How many of you are there?” Hank asked.

“Four besides me. Melody Boyd, Cygny Devoy, Victoria Cross, and Fay Clayton. And they all have specific skills.”

“How about a little rundown on each of them?” Roman asked.

“Just the bare essentials,” Hank added. “We can use our own networks to gather more information if we decide to give this a shot.”

Beck drew in a calming breath as she gathered the information in her head. She was concise, informative, and sharp, drawing a clear picture of each of the women and their particular skills. She didn’t embellish, and she was also careful to include any quirks that were important. She watched the men carefully as she spoke. When she finished, she looked from one man to the other, sitting quietly while the two men let the idea rattle around in their brains. They hadn’t said no right off the bat, so she was hopeful. Very hopeful, waiting for their reaction.

Hank glanced over at Roman. “Thoughts?”

Careful, Beck. This could be a stumbling block. Roman McClain could decide having you as part of the Brotherhood Protectors would be a problem, and who do you think Hank would listen to? You or his buddy Roman?

But the man surprised her.

“I think it sounds doable,” he told Hank. “And they could fill in some spaces where we didn’t have exactly the right people for an op. Like I said before, it would be a lot better than looking for people to borrow. I think it would add a dimension that we’re coming to need more and more.

“You know yourself,” he told Hank, “that there are a lot of situations where women can do a job men can’t. They have the advantage of looking harmless and being lethal.”

Hank had laughed at that. “No shit.”

“I don’t know about the others, but if they’re half as good as Beck, we’ll be lucky to have them.”

She couldn’t help the little thrill that wriggled through her at his words. “Thanks for that, Roman.”

“Yes, it could,” Hank agreed. “Here’s the thing. The timing on this couldn’t be better because I’m laying the foundation for a new specialized group within the Brotherhood Protectors. I think Roman will be the perfect one to lead it. I’m aware that you guys worked an op together a few years ago, so I figured that would be a plus. Give us a head start on this.”

“Oh, uh, sure. Sounds good.” She’d sounded like a babbling idiot.

“Roman’s been with us for more than two years,” Hank continued. “He knows the ins and outs of the group and has skills that will make him an ideal leader. And he’s brought Paladin, his bomb sniffing dog, with him.”

Her eyes widened. “You still have him?”

Roman nodded. “And he’s sharp as ever. He’s already helped with two situations. We thought we’d include him in some exercises we have planned.”

“Oh! Well, good. Yes. Very good.”

God, she sounded like an idiot.

She’d been prepared for both men to offer a string of objections to her proposal. Hank had his ideas about how to set up his group, and she had no idea what Roman’s reaction would be considering their history.

“But, tell me this,” Hank said, “just to satisfy my curiosity. Why did they leave the government jobs they had? Why did all of you leave? Did something happen? I know why I did, and why all the Protectors did, but I’d like to hear your—and their—reasons.”

Beck shrugged. “You can figure it out, I’m sure. Too much red tape, too much politics, too much bullshit. They want to make a real difference. They want to do what your guys in Brotherhood Protectors do.” She huffed a sigh. “You’ve seen me at work, Hank. You know what I can do. These women are as good if not better.” She paused. “Just one more thing. We want to have input, too, in planning and execution. We bring a lot of experience to this situation. You’ve seen it firsthand, Hank. Right?”

He nodded. “Roman, I do believe if we can work out the details, they’d be a good addition to the organization. Opens up a raft of possibilities.”

Roman laughed. “Sadie would certainly support that.”

Hank nodded. “You’ve got that right, my friend.”

Sadie was Hank’s wife. She had mentioned to Beck now and then when they got together that she had often urged him to seek out qualified women to add to the group.

“Okay,” Hank said to Beck after he’d asked a million questions and looked at the proposal from all angles. “Here’s what we’ll do. Let me know if it works for you.”

“Lay it on me,” she said.

“Every so often, I run a training week both for existing Protectors and new people just to keep them fresh and alert. We cover everything from hard physical training to hostage rescue to tracking to searching for bombs to whatever. I’ve got one coming up in three weeks because I’m looking to develop another group to headquarter in Colorado with Team Trojan. It will have a different look, and I’m hoping to test some of my ideas in this weeklong event.”

“Where are you holding it?” she asked.

“In Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains. On the whole, they get very little traffic, plus there’s a section on the first mountain perfect for the setup we need. It used to be utilized for this long ago, but it’s been sitting idle for the past few years. No one’s using it anymore. They head for the newer recreation areas, so no one will bother us. But, just in case, I blocked it off with the park rangers and labeled it an extended family picnic.”

“Sounds good,” she agreed.

“Get your friends registered and, if they cut it, they’re in.” His mouth curved in a half grin. “We’ll see if everyone’s really up for this. I’ve been mulling over an idea, anyway, that I want to give a try, as I said in the Colorado Brotherhood Protectors’ setup. They may just fit the bill. Maybe this will work for all of us.”

Beck frowned. “What kind of idea?”